Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Hooked on Soaps...and the Men Who Star in Them?

Then today is your lucky day. KJ Howe welcomes suspense author Alison Gaylin to the lair. Alison is one of those lucky women who knows all about those dreamy daytime men...

My new book, HEARTLESS, focuses on a soap opera magazine writer who has a secret affair with a hunky soap actor and travels to an idyllic town in Central Mexico with him, only to find that the town – and the actor – could be much more dangerous than they seem.

Now, I’ll tell you right up front – it’s based on experience. No, I’ve never had a passionate love affair with a gorgeous yet potentially deranged soap actor (Sorry!) – but I did work for quite a few years as a senior editor at Soap Opera Digest. And I’ve seen first-hand how irresistible those daytime leading men can be.

Besides going on set to interview the actors, I covered quite a few fan club luncheons and events for my job. And, though the fans were always thrilled to meet superstar actresses like Susan Lucci or Robin Strasser or Melody Thomas Scott, they went nuts – absolutely blushing, screaming insane – when someone like Maurice Benard (Sonny, General Hospital) walked into the room. It didn’t matter whether they were happily married new moms or 80-year-old grandmas, the soap hunks could turn any woman into a shrieking adolescent girl.

It got me wondering about the source of that appeal. Don’t get me wrong. Soap actors are gorgeous – washboard abs seem to be a job requirement – and from my own experience back in the 90s, most are incredibly nice to boot. But lets be real: It takes more than good looks and politeness to turn the average, sane woman into a quivering mass.

I’d say it comes not from the actors themselves, but from the lines they deliver on screen. Lines like, “I can’t stop thinking about you.” And “you’re driving me insane.” Lines that say, “I may be a ruthless mob boss/underworld spy/police commissioner/rock star/multi-millionaire businessman, but in my mind, it’s all about you.”

The soap hero may be immersed in a world of intrigue, but the most important thing in that world is always, always his woman. These guys will stare longingly into your eyes over countless candle-lit dinners, yet they rarely seem to eat a bite -- or for that matter, watch TV, go out to sports bars with their buddies, or even hit the gym to work on those abs. They rarely complain about their jobs, back pain or mounting bills, yet they will talk endlessly about their feelings for you. And when you’re not around, they’ll tell their friends how completely whipped they are. Often, they will spend weeks, months or even years trying to get you in the sack, down the aisle and into their lives forever, devising ingenious, labyrinthine plots solely for that purpose. In short, they’re like no real man we’ve ever met. And we kinda love them for it, don’t we?

Who is your favorite soap hunk – and what it is it about him that you adore the most?

Alison, I can answer that question. My favorite soap hunk is Jason Morgan from General Hospital...with a nickname like STONE COLD and eyes as blue as the Caribbean Sea, what's not to like? This suspense gal loves antiheroes with an Uzi and killer smile!

Suspense writer Alison Gaylin is the author of HIDE YOUR EYES, which was nominated for an Edgar in the “Best First Novel” category and its critically acclaimed sequel YOU KILL ME. She used her 15 years’ experience as an entertainment journalist to write her first standalone (and first hardcover) TRASHED -- a thriller revolving around the tabloid industry. TRASHED received strong reviews and is now out in paperback. Her latest novel, the standalone HEARTLESS came out in hardcover in September and is currently in bookstores.

Called a “spine-tingler of a thriller” by the Chicago Sun-Times, HEARTLESS centers around a soap opera magazine writer, whose romantic trip to Mexico goes very, very wrong. It is available in hardcover from NAL/Obsidian at a bookstore near you.

How fun, Alison and Kim! I'm not much for soaps (was briefly hooked on whatever it was my college roommate was watching, but it didn't stick)... I do get finding that intense focus attractive though--who wouldn't want to be the object of such a gorgeous man's pursuit?

Alison, your books sound absolutely fascinating. Will you hate me if I tell you I never really got into soaps? I like things that FINISH! I think that's why I love romance novels so much. You get that happy ever after and that suits me fine. ;-)

Marie! Well if you're on the West Coast for the first time ever-then you deserve to nab the rooster!

Hi ALison - Welcome to the lair. I haven't watched a soap opera since Dark Shadows - so I can't really name a favorite, but I think you have something there with the dialogue. I know when I'm looking for a face to go with my hero, the most handsome men are in the soap opera magazines.

YAY, Marie!! You got him! And you can't give him back for 24 hours! Good luck! He may just turn your life into a soap opera!

I grew up watching soaps here in the States and then in England (Crossroads or Coronation Street anyone?) I even watched one when I lived in Germany - Schwarzwald Clinic (Black Forest Clinic) - a German General Hospital.

I don't watch them much anymore. Like La Campbell, I like things that end and end happily! (Hey La Campbell - Karen Rose ran a poll of perfect romance heroes in several categories on the Goddess Blogs and Matthew in Untouched was mentioned more than once!)

My favorite soap actor hands down is Roger Howarth who was the original Todd Manning on One Life to Live. (the only Todd as far as I am concerned.) He is now Paul on ATWT. Actually is the model for my hero in Dreams of Angels (not quite finished third book, waiting until I finish second book to go back to) Sebastian Sherringdon, the Wicked Marquis of Warren.

Alison, your book sounds scrumptious!! I still pick up Soap Opera Digest to catch up on what is going on when I haven't watched in a while.

Well, let me clarify--I've been to the west coast before (most recently RWA in SF), but never snagged the rooster. It was funny, I was catching up on a few blogs and landed on this one. Then I said to myself, that's weird, there's no comments. There's never no comments on the Banditas. So then, heart racing, I realized... This is my one and ONLY chance to snag the rooster! I typed as fast as my little fat fingers would go and Ta Da... He's allll mine! He and I just had a good gab with Aunty Cindy on the land line.

LOVED Guiding Light and ATWT for many many years. I lost my mojo with them when I lived overseas for a few years. I loved the Beth-Phillip-Rick years and still swoon when I hear the song Truly, Beth and Phillip's prom song. Sigh... Also loved Lily and Holden on ATWT.

Donna, I remember Dark Shadows! I also remember my grandmother watching General Hospital and One Life to Live. There was this young actor on OLTL and I told my gramma, "He better CHANGE his name if he wants to make it in Hollywood." His name was Tommy Lee Jones! ROFLOL!

WTG on the GR, Marie! He was stuck doing laundry with me most of the afternoon, so he was anxious to get away. He will be quite a handful on your flight home tomorrow so watch yourself.

I've been watching ABC soaps since I was a kid since my mom was so into it. My favorite actor is Michael Easton. I like him in One Life to Live, but I loved him as Caleb the vampire in Port Charles the best.

You guys are all the best! I'm on East Coast time, up late writing but I NEED to go to bed. But I wanted to say hi. Anna, I won't hate you at all -- in fact, I haven't watched them so much since my Digest days. But the whole soap hunk mystique always fascinated me and still does. I think with romance novels, they're created in more depth -- plus you get to use your imagination as far as their looks go, which is always fun. :) Donna, DARK SHADOWS I watched when very young and it scared the living daylights out of me! It may have been one of those things that led me to suspense. I love getting safely terrified. Louisa, interestingly enough, one of the nicest soap hunks I've ever met is Roger Howarth! I mean it! I interviewed him a couple of times, as I used to cover ONE LIFE TO LIVE for Digest, and he was really one of the most down-to-earth, funny and "real" actors I met. Very smart guy, too. Marie, I had a great time covering Lily and Holden's wedding while at Soap Opera Digest. Covered GUIDING LIGHT for a while too! Beth, very nice to meet a soap fan - and I liked Jack too! Perrin, I never met Michael Easton, as his soap was shot on the West Coast, but I've heard lots of people say he's quite a sweet guy. Thanks ALL of you for the warm welcome -- and for saying such nice things about my book. I hope you guys have as much fun reading HEARTLESS as I did writing it. Going to bed now (finally!) But I'll check back in again tomorrow!

I've never been much to watch daytime soaps for some reason -- oh, yeah, all those little kids watching Sesame Street! But I do love the evening dramas like Grey's Anatomy. McSteamy is my favorite. Who can forget the almost-dropped-bath-towel scene?

Marie...Make sure the GR doesn't stow away home with you! back to Rhode Is... the home of the Red Roosters may be too much for him!!!Congratulation on a great catch!

Eons...ago I liked 'The Young and the Restless'..David Hasslehoff was in it...before he had Kitt as his wheels and later his speedo's on Baywatch!We have Australian soapies too but I only watched one called Bellbird! that was eons ago too! and I never took up watching the newer ones, ie. Neighbours

One actor I do like is Damien Lewis, one of the most attractive red headed men I've seen!

I don't watch soaps anymore (no time!), but when I did, Maurice Bernard was my all-time favorite. The man is gorgeous, one hell of an actor, and is a spokesperson for people with bipolar disorder (or used to be), a horrible condition that afflicts many people in my family. But he shows what you can do when you don't let it victimize you. All around great guy in my book.

Great interview the book sounds great. Sorry to say that I am not a soap opera watcher either although I have watched Days Of Our Lives before only because my sister used to love it and if she was at my place I had to watch it with her.I have watched a few Australian ones back in the 70's NO 96 and The Box they were hot in them days and Carol I remember Bellbird.

Hi Alison, the book sounds great! I'm very much into a 'contemporary suspense' reading jag at the moment, so I'm putting you on by TBB list.

I use to be a huge fan of the soaps and would run home for lunch,oh so many years ago, and watch All My Children daily. But when the ingenues that I loved started becoming the mother's of the ingenues I stopped watching.

I have to say that there is no better aphrodisiac than a man who spends his time thinking about you, so yeah, those guys on the Soaps want to make you take an afternoon off and live in Pine Valley for a few hours. Of course sans the running for your life, or hiding from the mob or discovering your long lost husband is alive and kicking in the next town over on your wedding day.

What a great post!!! I just LOVE soaps and have been watching them since my high school days (which is way longer than it really should be!).

Here are a few of my favorits:

1) Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow) from The Young and The Restless. There's something about that man's rawness that just grabs me.

2) Owen (Brandon Beemer) from The Bold and The Beautiful. That man's eyes are unbelievably gorgeous.

3) Chris Hughes (Dylan Bruce) from As The World Turns. The typical all American guy.

4) Jack Snyder (Michael Park) from As The World Turns. What is not to love about a man who does that right thing and loves HIS woman with all of his being. When he smiles that shy smile, boy do I melt!

5) The old Mike Kasnoff (Mark Collier) from As The World Turns. All I can say about this guy is that he is/was the best looking man on daytime tv. Those dimples -- OMG!

Have to confess, I've watched 2 episodes of soaps in my life -- and not really by choice. They coincided with my infant's nursing time (which actually started with The Galloping Gourmet) but he was being slow and I couldn't get up to change the channel (yes, I pre-date remotes!) so there was some soap on. Don't remember what. Some woman was about to faint at the end, I think. About 3 weeks later, I was in the same situation, and lo and behold, the woman still wasn't done fainting.

Although if I HAD watched soaps, I guess Richard Dean Anderson would have been a fave--I didn't catch up with him until MacGyver.

I'm up -- and I love the Lair! And Marie, I too want to congratulate you on the rooster. Jo -- After being urged by friends to watch Grey's for years, I discovered it on an airplane (!) and loved it. I'm a bit more of a McDreamy fan myself, but I fully understand McSteamy's appeal... and Sesame Street's too. My only daughter is seven. I miss those Elmo days. Carol, just out of college, I was a reporter for a supermarket tabloid (yeah, I work for all the classy places). My claim to fame is I was thrown out of David Hasselhoff's wedding... Pretty embarassing, but we can be honest here, right? Margay, fully agree on Maurice Benard -- and his speaking out about bipolar disorder. Great actor and person. (And easy on the eyes, too!) Helen, Marisa -- great to meet you! The one good thing about those ingenues becomming moms is, they still have terrific, complicated sex lives! Those hunks are STILL fighting over them, after all these years. Buffie, great choices. Joshua Morrow, in particular. He started on soaps when I was still at the magazine and I always thought he was destined for big stardom. Terry, I laughed out loud over your fainting comment. Everything lasts forrreeeevvvver on soaps, doesn't it? I find it weirdly comforting. Hi Kim - and thanks for posting me. Keep those comments coming

I grew up on Soap Operas as my mom was addicted to them. My afternoons were Days of our Lives, Another World, and Guiding Light. But I haven't watched a Soap in years. I got hooked on General Hospital back when I had my daughter and was off work but that was nine years ago and I haven't watched one since.

I can still name my favorite hunk though. The guy that plays Jax on General Hospital. I think that's how you spell it. Those eyes, those abs, that Aussie accent. Ooh la la!!!

Congrats on all your success! Looks like I have to add another author to the list.

Thanks for swinging by the lair today Alison! Your books sounds like great fun & I will most definitely pick it up.

As for soaps, aside from a brief affair with The Bold & The Beautiful in college, I've never been much of a watcher. I get my fix from romance novels--I can take them with me in my bag & enjoy them any old place. :-)

However, I totally get the appeal of soaps. I devoured Linda Palmer's Love You Madly mystery series a few years ago, where the reluctant sleuth of a heroine is the head writer for a daily soap. It was fascinating & amusing & witty & fun. IN fact, I'm thinking I ought to go see if there's been a new one out. I'd forgotten all about that series...

Thanks again for visiting us today, Alison! And thanks, Kim, for bringing her by.

Hi Alison, and welcome! You know, I was never a big soap fan, but I remember watching them when I was a nanny for two young kids and realizing how perfectly they were designed for moms running around after little ones. The repetition, the lingering looks, the short scenes -- it's all made for mommies!

I think you nailed all the reasons to love those men, but here's a question for everyone -- why did people like Luke (of Luke and Laura)? Did anyone think he was a hottie? That curly hair of his always made me shudder. ;-)

Congratulations on all your success, by the way! Can you tell us a little about how you learned to write? Are you a MFA English-major style writer, or a figured-it-out-yourself style writer?

Welcome Alison! Your book sounds great and I love the premise. I was a huge soap fan when I was in high school and college. Once I started working full-time I lost track of them. Even now that I'm at home most of the day, I don't turn them on. Not quite sure why. Probably because I know I'll become addicted to them and never get any work done.

I'm not going to name my favorite soap guy because high school and college was a looong time ago.

I haven't watched soaps in YEARS--never was a huge fan, but I'll tell you, I can't, even today, sit down with one on in the room (medical waiting rooms anyone?) without getting all caught up in it. It's lame. It's melodrama in it's highest form. And still. I'm right there. I don't fully understand the power to hook me, but it does.

I don't watch tv really so I never see soaps in my daily life, but when I was a kid, off school because off weather or something, I remember General Hospital, One Life To Live, All My Children, and The Young and The Restless. I think my favorite hunks were Bo and the doctor played by Rick Springfield, the singer, on (I think) General Hospital?

The sexiest guy I ever saw on a soap was actually Noah (sorry, can't remember which soap as I only caught it a few times for some reason while he was on there). Gorgeous African American man with long braided hair. OMG. I just STARED at that guy.

I think everyone has nailed the appeal though--it's the intensity and the FOCUS. Focus is the best foreplay in the world ya know?

Kirsten, I think a lot of us felt for Luke (the only time I watched for any extended number of episodes was when the whole Luke/Laura fiasco was going down) was because of the "he got done wrong" thing. Accused of rape and all that. No, I don't think he was hot. Just got done wrong.

As much as I don't really like soaps now (and never did even when I was hooked on them in sporadic weeks of being stuck in the house--and yes, I know it makes no sense to be hooked on something you don't much like)I still don't like Scotty, the guy Laura almost married. Any time I see him that's what I think of.

The power of those shows is what I find so surprising actually. What is that pull and why do we get so hooked in?

Terrio - Yes, Jax is played by Ingo Rademacher (spelling?) and when I worked at Digest, more than a few editors had crushes on him...Susan -- That Linda Palmer series sounds great!I'll have to definitely check it out!Kirsten -- I'm so with you on Luke. Never got the hair at all! Go figure. As for my background, I have my bachelors degree in theater (I was in the playwriting program) and my masters degree in Journalism. But I've always dreamed of writing fiction. It was in a great, great fiction writing workshop that I wrote the short story that eventually became my first book, HIDE YOUR EYES.Louisa -- Oh if you had only seen the other reporter and I, in our best dresses, sitting in the pews of the Little Brown Church in Hollywood as if we belonged there... I have no idea why we thought we could get away with it.Christie -- My husband, a big fan of violent movies and dark thrillers, admits to being an ATWT fan for a time. So you know it's got wide appeal. I was a Guiding Light fan while at Digest. Loved Josh and Reba.Cassondra -- Oh I remember Keith Hamilton Cobb (Noah, ALL MY CHILDREN.) He was so charismatic in person and very very tall as well. One of his co-stars had a spicy nickname for him, and they weren't even involved. Just an "I can dream, can't I" kind of thing. That's a terrific question about soaps. I think there's something comforting about their longevity. You know that no matter what happens in the world, no matter how old we get or how our own lives change, Erica will always be searching for true love and/or will be the object of someone's obsession -- and she will always look exactly the same.

I, too, am a huge fan of Rick Springfield playing Noah Drake on General Hospital. There is something about that guy...

Alison, your background is fascinating. What amazes me is how accomplished so many writers are before they find fiction. I think by experiencing life for several years, you're able to tackle story, characters, and emotion with greater depth.

Back to the celebrity world. If you could meet one current soap hunk, who would it be and why?

The sun is just beginning to set as a lone figure shuffles down the dirt road to Chicken Scratch Valley. His feathers are shaggy, his eyes dull, his beak twisted in a grimace. He hasn't been back since the horrible accident at the Colonel's. Will they remember him?

AHA! Yes, that's him. That's the "Bo" I was talking about. And I couldn't even remember which soap it was (they've all muddled together in my brain). But it was Days Wasn't his woman named Hope? And did they EVER get together? I think about a year ago I was checking out at the grocery store and one of the soap magazines (maybe your old one, Alison) had "Will Beau and Hope FINALLY be together?" or some such, and I was like, "Come ON! It's been like thirty years already!"

I, too, like an ending. A happy one. Guaranteed. But Beau was cute. And hot--when I was a teenager.

Suddenly, a car careens, out of control, headed straight for our feathered hero. Tight shot to the terror in his little face! A split second before impact, he recognizes the driver...his old lover....FEDORA!

Return from commercial to car upside down with spinning tires. FEDORA had swerved to miss her long-lost love and instead crashed into a tree. Our hero is holding her in his arms as blood trickles from her forehead.

Kim, I met so many daytime actors while at the magazine, so if I were to meet a soap hunk, I might go for a nighttime one -- which brings us back to McDreamy...But the original Bo was quite the heartthrob.

Whoops. Blogger cut out half my comment. It should read..."WHY??? WHY????" But then Fedora's eyes slowly open. She smiles at the rooster. "Didn't mean to ruffle your feathers," she whispers. He replies..NEXT

I don't watch soaps anymore, but I grew up watching One Life to Live and General Hospital.

I have had many fave stars over the years, some merely for eye candy, and others because I love the character.

I think the appeal of soap hunks is similar to the appeal of the heroes in romance novels. They are both usually deep, complicated, difficult, sexy, funny, and when they fall for a woman, they fall HARD! Who wouldn't want to be that woman?

I often go looking through soap magazines for pictures of guys who can give me a mental picture for my heroes, it helps me visualize and then get down on paper what I see in my mind's eye.

Right now, my inspiration is Tyler Christopher, who plays Nikolas on General Hospital. He is just YUMMY!

He bends close, his beak stroking Fedora's cheek. The moment before he reaches her lips, she says,

"What's that birthmark on your pinfeathers?" Fedora squinted. "It's a tiny, Bandita mask! I have one just like it! Only members of the royal family of the Lair have them." Her eyes widened in horror. "Could you be my....."

Oh, you know who else I used to like was Josh Duhamel when he was on ALL MY CHILDREN! Kestrel, Jax was a physical model for Nate -- Samantha's gorgeous ex from my books HIDE YOUR EYES and YOU KILL ME. And to a degree, he looks like Warren Clark, the (possibly psychotic) soap hunk in HEARTLESS. I love the rooster soap too. I'm already hooked!

"What's that birthmark on your pinfeathers?" Fedora squinted. "It's a tiny, Bandita mask! I have one just like it! Only members of the royal family of the Lair have them." Her eyes widened in horror. "Could you be my....."

"Half-brother?"The GR drops FEDORA to the ground. "But I'm an only...bird. This can't be!"I always knew there was a secret baby somewhere, but I didn't know it was a secret egg," FEDORA says in astonishment."But that means..."

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Donna MacMeans, Trish Milburn, and Nancy Northcott will all be in Atlanta for the Moonlight and Magnolias conference in Decatur, Georgia September 30 through October 2nd. If you're in the area, stop by for the booksigning. We'd love to see you.

Redeeming the Rogue by Donna MacMeans received a 4.5 star TOP PICK! review from Romantic Times Magazine.

Living in Color by Trish Milburn is now available on Kindle, Smashwords and at barnesandnoble.com for the Nook.